


The Happy Barista

by obsessivechild



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee Shops, M/M, Starbucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 13:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6756907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessivechild/pseuds/obsessivechild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A positive attracts a negative.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Happy Barista

**Author's Note:**

> Hahahahahaha so funny story:  
> A week ago, I had to take an extra bag to college so I decided to take the bus to the train station. Basically, the bus was fifteen minutes late so I missed my train by two motherfucking minutes. Since I felt sorry for myself, I treated myself to a Starbucks and decided to write because I'm pretty sure a lot of people write in coffee shops. So that is my sad, short tale and here is the fic it inspired me to write.

Buses sucked. Like, _really_ fucking sucked. They were never on time and more often than not, they made Gerard late for practically everything.

He didn't exactly have his life in order anyway, without the aid of shitty buses. That was just an extra inconvenience that he didn't need. Why did bad things happen to slightly good people?

The main thing the bus made him late for was his train into the city. Gerard was lucky his boss was pretty laid-back otherwise he definitely would have been fired by now.

If Gerard had enough common sense, he would get an earlier bus so if _that_ bus was late, he wouldn't miss his train. But the thing was, Gerard was lazy and preferred to sleep in a little longer. That was going to land him in trouble one day.

On average, he usually missed his train at least twice a week which meant he had to wait an hour for the next one. This waiting time was usually spent in the Starbucks next to the station.

Normally, Gerard didn't need an excuse to drink coffee but the twice a week habit was having an effect on his wallet. Not a big effect but an effect nonetheless.

He was actually enjoying the serene atmosphere in the coffee shop and liked to draw there. It was nice to be able to draw casually without the thought of a deadline in the back of his mind.

Another thing Gerard appreciated about the coffee shop was the staff. One member of staff in particular.

The first time Gerard had seen him was a month into his train missing routine. The guy must have just started working there because it looked like someone was training him.

The reason why this specific guy had caught Gerard's eye was because he looked pretty young. To be working in a coffee shop anyway. Then again, a lot of younger people worked in coffee shops and cafes now. 

He also had quite an attractive and alternative vibe about him. Basically, he _was_ attractive and alternative.

He hadn't served Gerard but that didn't stop him from staring at the new barista while he waited for his coffee.

It had since been two months and the new guy had served Gerard a few times. Not many but he was always there when Gerard missed his train with a smile on his face.

This was the part that intrigued Gerard: this guy was always smiling and talking happily to the customers. Gerard knew that good customer service was important but he had never caught this guy without a smile on his face. Whereas, the other baristas usually sighed or grimaced when they thought the customers weren't looking. Who could blame them really? Working at twenty past seven in the morning was no one's idea of fun.

Gerard would be lying if he said he didn't find this guy attractive. He probably wasn't actually that young; he just looked it. His height added to that as well. He was pretty short. Gerard found it cute.

Gerard was even thinking about maybe asking this guy out just because his positivity and cheeriness put Gerard in a good mood. Instead of feeling irritated about missing his train, he felt happy about seeing this guy's smile and saying good morning to him. If Gerard was being honest with himself, he had a little crush on him.

The only problem was, Gerard was awkward. He supposed he had never developed the part of his brain that allowed him to initiate conversation easily. Gerard was pretty anti-sociable and was an active recluse. So things such as just asking someone their name or something like that scared him a little. He preferred to stick by people he felt comfortable around. Either that or be by himself.

That was how he had spent the majority of his life. He found relationships difficult but not as much as he used to find them. He had gotten better with experience which was something at least.

One of the main reasons why he wasn't eager to initiate any form of relationship currently was that he was scared. He didn't like rejection and the thought of someone knowing everything about him was a little daunting. He'd have to get over it though if he did want to have a relationship.

And he _did_ want a relationship. The first step was asking out that new barista. That was mainly to prove to himself that he _could_ do things like that. Also, he was getting pretty fond of the guy. Granted, they'd only spoken about three words to each other and those had consisted of, "good morning", "thanks", and, "large black coffee, please". Not exactly the most exciting exchanges.

That was going to change.

Gerard entered Starbucks with purpose on a Tuesday morning when he had missed his train for the first time that week. He was going to do it. He was going to get something good out of being an hour and a half late to work.

He was feeling pretty nervous just thinking about talking to this guy properly. It was stupid really but he had never actually gone up to a guy before. He'd had guys come up to him and he'd met some through friends but that was completely different to this.

When he entered the shop, his eyes went straight to the counter and yep, there he was; all happy and smiling. Gerard still had no idea how he did it.

It was usually quiet in Starbucks at seven in the morning so Gerard didn't have the stress of a lot of people. That was one less thing to worry about.

There wasn't anyone ordering at the counter. The guy and another barista were just casually standing behind it, having a chat.

They both spotted Gerard and the guy smiled in his direction. That made Gerard lose his nerve and he quickly headed to the toilets to give himself a pep talk.

He could have done with the other barista not being there but there wasn't anything he could do about that now. He was just going to have to suck it up and get on with it.

After a minute or so of staring at his reflection in the mirror and fiddling with his hair, he went back out again.

A woman had appeared at the counter and the other barista was taking her order.

Gerard decided to quickly go over so he could be served by the happy barista before he was made to help out with this woman's order.

The guy grinned when Gerard stopped in front of the counter. He couldn't help but gawk at him as usual and wonder how the hell he managed to keep up his constant good mood.

"What can I get you?" The guy asked when Gerard still hadn't spoken.

Gerard tried not to go red as he said, "Uh a large black coffee, please."

"Coming right up." The guy's smile seemed to get bigger as he grabbed a cup and wrote on it. "Gerard, right?" He looked up.

Gerard blinked a bit in surprise. "Uh yeah."

"I have a pretty good memory when it comes to customers." The guy explained before clearing his throat and going over to one of the coffee machines.

Gerard frowned and headed to the waiting portion of the counter. So the guy knew his name? That was interesting.

Had he actually taken the time to learn his name or did he legitimately remember customers easily? It could be either. Although, it wasn't like Gerard was a regular customer every day. He only came in a couple times a week.

While Gerard waited for his coffee, he thought about how he would go about asking this guy out. Would he straight up ask him? Or would he start by leaving hints?

But what if he said no? For some reason, the thought of rejection had never crossed Gerard's mind. Shit.

It didn't take long for his coffee to be made. As soon as the guy was finished, he placed the cup on the counter and called, "Gerard?"

Gerard was pulled out of his little daydream and went over to pick it up. He exchanged a smile with the guy before he went to go back over to the head of the counter.

Gerard suddenly remembered something and stopped him, "Excuse me?"

The barista turned back and raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"I uh... I haven't paid." That was correct, right? Gerard couldn't remember paying the usual $2.25.

"Oh um." The guy looked a little embarrassed, "It's on the house. You know, for the creepy comment about knowing all of the customers." He laughed awkwardly before escaping back to the tills.

Gerard dumbly stared after him. What had just happened?

He slowly moved away from the counter so someone else could get their coffee. This had thrown him off a bit.

After shoving some sugar into his coffee, Gerard went over to the sofa he usually sat at and took his bag off. When he was comfy, he looked back over to the counter. One of the reasons he had chosen this sofa was because he had a good view of the counter and the baristas behind it.

The happy barista was now serving someone else.

Gerard decided not to stare for long and pulled out his sketchpad and pencils from his bag and placed them on the coffee table in front of him, next to his coffee cup. It was then that he noticed the name on his coffee cup and the smiley face drawn next to it.

That was new.

Was this some way of flirting or something? Interesting. Gerard was intrigued.

Or maybe this guy was just super friendly. That sounded more likely.

Gerard spent the next fifty minutes drawing and drinking his coffee. He completely forgot about his mission until the moment he had to leave. It was too late by then. He would miss his train _again_ if he attempted to fulfil his objective. He'd just have to wait and do it some other time which kinda sucked but he wasn't about to miss his train on purpose in order to ask this guy out.

It was just going to have to be a task for another day.

 

*

 

Gerard didn't miss the train for another week and a half so the next time he was entering Starbucks, it was a Thursday. Luckily, it seemed that happy barista guy worked every day.

It was a bit busier than usual so Gerard was served by someone else and happy barista didn't seem to notice him. At least, not when Gerard was looking anyway.

When he had his coffee, he sat at his sofa and pulled out his sketchpad. He was determined not to fall into the same routine as last time. He was going to complete his mission.

It died down after about twenty minutes; everyone was going off to work. It was a lot quieter when most of the morning coffee goers had left and Gerard was grateful. He had space to think now.

The happy barista was cleaning some tables and just checking round to make sure everything was tidy. When he passed Gerard's little corner, he smiled. Gerard smiled a small smile back, bulled over as usual by this guy's positive vibes. It was refreshing.

As Gerard watched this guy wipe down a table across the room, he thought about how he would do this. The first step was initiating conversation. That was the hard part. Gerard felt like he needed a reason to talk to him. He knew he didn't but he still felt like he did.

Should he order another coffee? That would be pointless; the guy wasn't behind the counter anymore.

Should he _spill_ the remains of his current cup? It was a good way to get him over but what if he didn't notice? Gerard would be left to clean up the mess himself. And also, knowing him, he would accidentally spill it down himself or on his drawings. Only he would fuck up a planned fuck up. Anyway, coffee was too sacred to spill.

So what was left? Nothing really. Not unless he sat there and started brainstorming ideas. Although, he would most probably end up doing that for about half an hour until he had to leave. Damn his indecisiveness.

The only last resort was to just get his attention and call him over. What then though? Just ask him bluntly? Should he introduce himself first? The guy already knew his name though. This was more complicated than he'd originally thought.

After a few minutes of deliberating, Gerard's mouth betrayed him and left him to resort to some improvisation. As soon as the barista began to walk past again, Gerard impulsively called out, "Excuse me?"

What the fuck was he doing? He couldn't remember giving himself permission to say that.

The barista turned on his heel and headed back to Gerard's table, a smile already intact. "Yes?"

Gerard opened his mouth but no words came out. He suddenly forgot how to speak. What were consonants and vowels again? Eventually, he randomly muttered, "Could I have some more sugar please?"

"Sure thing." The barista was off across the room to fulfil his order.

Gerard mentally cursed at himself. He seriously had to pull himself together and ask him when he came back. Gerard sometimes wondered how he was allowed into institutes like these as he seemed to be socially inept most of the time.

The barista was coming back and Gerard was losing time. He needed to do this _now_ before he lost his nerve again. And let's face it, it took him long enough to get to this stage in the first place.

"Here you go." The barista placed the little packets of sugar next to his cup.

"Thanks." Gerard picked one up and immediately started fiddling with it.

"No problem." The barista smiled and turned to leave again. It was now or never.

"Before you go-" Gerard suddenly burst out, holding out a hand.

The barista stopped and waited to see what Gerard had to say. What _did_ Gerard have to say?

"You know my name." He stated randomly, not knowing what else to say.

A smile twitched on the guy's face. "I do."

"But um I don't know your name..." Gerard was losing his confidence, having no idea where the fuck he was going with this.

A full smile spread across the barista's face as he replied, "It's Frank."

It took Gerard a second to take that in. Finally the happy barista had a name: _Frank_.

After a moment, Gerard suddenly remembered that he was supposed to say something. "Oh um... I like it." What a nerd.

Frank grinned at him, "I like your name, too."

"Thanks..." Gerard was trying really hard not to turn into a giggly mess. He never did well around cute guys.

"You've only just started working here, right?" Gerard attempted to continue some sort of conversation.

"Yeah, started a couple months ago now." Frank nodded, "I work Monday to Friday from seven until twelve and then some Sundays. Not my dream job but the pay's alright."

Gerard hadn't expected a full out answer like that. The only response he could think of was, "I work in the city."

"Really?" Frank's eyes widened.

Gerard smiled a little, "Yeah. I'm actually supposed to be there right now but um I missed my train."

"That'll be why I only see you occasionally then." Frank said.

"Yeah. I only come here when I miss my train. But that's not my fault."

"How is it not your fault?" Frank smirked, fiddling with the washcloth in his hands.

"I only miss my train when my bus is late." Gerard told him. Part of him was yelling in his head that he was actually _talking_ to the happy barista and he even knew his _name_ now. On the outside, he stayed cool and collected. Well, as much as he could anyway.

"Why don't you get an earlier bus then?" Frank suggested, "There should be another bus like, ten minutes before your usual one."

Gerard laughed nervously. "I _have_ thought of that but you see, I'm a big fan of sleep."

Frank chuckled lightly, "Sounds like a good enough reason to me. My shift here starts at seven and I usually get up at quarter to and practically run here. I'm lucky I only live round the corner."

"Wish I did. I live more on the outskirts. I should move really. It'd make things easier. Plus, I wouldn't have to get the shitty bus and I wouldn't miss my train again."

"You _could_ do that." Frank fiddled with the washcloth even more, "But then you wouldn't have to come in here anymore."

Gerard frowned, not understanding what he meant, "I could always get coffee when I get into work."

Frank seemed to have gone shy. He wasn't looking at Gerard anymore. Instead, he was watching the washcloth as he twisted it through his fingers. "I suppose so... But uh..." He shook his head, "Never mind."

"No, what is it?" Gerard sat up straighter, intrigued as to what Frank was insinuating. He had completely forgotten about his coffee, leaving it to go cold on the table next to his closed sketchpad.

Frank laughed awkwardly and looked up again, his cheeks tinted pink. "Seeing you puts me in a good mood. I'm not sure why..."

Gerard stared at him as he digested that comment. Were his feelings for this guy mutual?

"That sounded super creepy, I'm sorry." Frank bit his lip, "I'll uh leave you to your coffee." He started backing away.

"No, wait!" Gerard stood up abruptly, earning a few looks from some of the other customers. He ignored them as best as he could.

Frank paused, watching to see what Gerard would do next.

"I look forward to days when my bus is late because I like seeing you. You're always smiling and happy and it makes me happy." Gerard knew it sounded like something a middle schooler would say but he honestly had no idea how else to phrase it. Thinking on his feet was never his strong point.

Frank stared back at him for a second before a massive grin spread across his face. "Really?"

Gerard nodded, now fully aware how on display he was, standing up. A couple to their right was still watching them. He wanted to tell them to mind their own business but he didn't want to ruin this moment.

Frank looked back down to his hands. "That's sweet."

"I know. Not like me at all." Gerard smirked at himself, "That's just how you make me feel."

Frank looked up from under his lashes and smiled at him. Whatever Gerard seemed to be doing was working.

"Maybe you'd like to meet up? I mean, outside of my work hours?" Frank asked quietly.

 _Finally_.

"Yeah, I'd like that a lot." Gerard agreed, not even trying to hide the massive smile that was spreading across his face.

"Cool." Frank smiled at his feet. He had gone all shy again and it was incredibly endearing.

"I've gotta go otherwise I'll miss my train again." Gerard told him, not really wanting to go.

Frank looked up again. "I should probably get back to work before I get fired. But here." He quickly pulled a small notepad out of his pocket and scribbled something down. When he was done, he ripped the paper out and handed it to Gerard.

Gerard took it and looked down at the numbers on display.

"You'd better call me." Frank beamed at him, "I don't give my number out to just anyone."

Gerard grinned at the paper and then up at Frank. "That's a promise."

That hadn't been so hard after all. And imagine if Gerard _hadn't_ called him over. None of this could have happened. Stepping out of your comfort zone could be useful. Especially if it involved cute guys.


End file.
